1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a watch having a device for displaying Chinese depictions, which are revealed by a display element.
2. Description of Prior Art
A watch of this type is known from European patent application EP-A 0 489 652. That watch has a display element in the form of a liquid-crystal display, which displays Western astrological symbols and Chinese astrological symbols, all characters being visible at one time and being able to rotate around the display. With this known watch, it is possible to determine eventful hours upon entering a date of birth, an eventful hour being in, each case determined for a Western astrological symbol and an eventful hour likewise being determined for a Chinese symbol. The known device thus assigns a time interval of one hour to a Chinese symbol. The known device is of complex construction and rather too complicated for practical use. It also requires in-depth knowledge of the astrological symbols, since these can be confused with just a fleeting glance. The known display device is also restricted to assigning an astrological ascendant to a specific hour of the day.
The object of the invention is to develop the watch mentioned at the outset or its device for displaying depictions, in such a way that a clear display with new configuration options is created.
The object of the invention is achieved by providing a display element for displaying Chinese life symbols configured as pictographs or character symbols and which, in each case, visually reveals one life symbol for a time period of two hours or at least suitably marks out the life symbol in the display field of the watch.
Each depiction is visible for a period of two hours, since the inventor has determined an astrological ascendant over two specific hours of a day. This provides an additional new configuration allowing the user of the device according to the invention to make important decisions over two hours in association with a specific Chinese life symbol.
The device according to the invention is integrated in a watch having an analogue or digital time display. In the combination with an analogue wristwatch for example, the invention provides for the correlation of the display visible in each case with a specific position of the hands. In this embodiment, displays are possible which take on particular significance when visible at a specific point in time or over a specific period of time.
In a first preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, the display element is designed as a disc which can be continuously rotated via a drive or can be discretely stepped forward.
Use of the driven disc, on which the depictions of the Chinese life symbols are arranged, makes for a simple design. The Chinese life symbols are in this case easy to recognize in their pictorial representation in the form of an animal head, thus avoiding confusion of the life symbols with one another. It is of course also possible to represent the symbols in written form.
In order to display the depictions clearly in this example, the disc is expediently arranged under a dial and an aperture is provided in the dial, through which the individual depictions become visible one after the other as the disc rotates. Not all the depictions are therefore visible at one time, but only the depiction of one Chinese life symbol, ensuring a clear display.
This embodiment also provides for the disc to have a cycle time of 24 hours for one rotation. The depictions of the Chinese symbols can therefore be recurrently repeated after one day.
To make for a compact arrangement, the disc advantageously has a central recess within which the drive is arranged. By means of the drive, both the disc and the hour hand or an additional minute or second hand or for example a moon phase or date indicator can be driven.
For quick recognition, pictorial sketches of the Chinese life symbols are advantageously arranged on the disc. The pictorial symbol of a dragon is for example displayed between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
The pictorial symbol may be engraved in the disc or painted on the disc. Coloured representations of the life symbols are also conceivable.
A further disc with years on it can in addition be provided, the visible depiction of one of the twelve Chinese life symbols in each case correlating with a specific year. A further disc with the life symbols could also be arranged alongside the disc with years, displaying the corresponding symbol for the given year.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the display element according to the invention integrated in an analogue wristwatch is designed as a retrograde display pointing to the twelve life symbols in written form on a visible curved ring, with which a hand is associated which correlates with the hour hand, minute hand or second hand of the time display and/or with the moon phase or date indicator and points in each case for two hours to one of the twelve signs.